Kavanaugh's sloppy history of the New York Times, the latest series of gaffes in the Opinion section

by



[ad_1]

This is the latest in a series of high-profile gaffes that have embarrassed James Bennet since his appointment in 2016 as editor of The Times & # 39; Opinion.

Bennet's tenure was marked by several incidents that sparked controversy, criticism and at least one trial.

A Times spokesman declined to let Bennet available for an interview of this story, but defended the Opinion section by highlighting his talented writers and the good work that they produced.

"Opinion produces a powerful journalism that makes a difference in people's lives, from the groundbreaking and current project on privacy to an editorial series on the laws A number of companies have therefore modified their contracts with female athletes to protect women during and after pregnancy, "The Times spokesperson said in a statement to CNN Business. "The diversity and quality of this work is adopted not only by readers, but also by their peers."

However, while the Opinion section undoubtedly produced significant work in the years following Bennet's arrival, she is also responsible for the Times' biggest journalistic black eyes during this period.

The latter took place again this weekend when Opinion's Sunday Review published an essay based on an upcoming book written by two Times reporters, detailing an allegation of sexual misconduct never reported to the newspaper. From Kavanaugh, that he denied it.

The allegation in the book rested on the memory of a Yale classmate who, according to the Times, would have contacted the FBI and the legislators at Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing. Yale's classmate, who is now a prominent lawyer, declined to comment publicly, according to the Times.

But the book "The Education of Brett Kavanaugh" contains an essential detail that was missing from the Times' essay: the woman at the center, who was a student at the time of the incident, refused to To be interviewed. In addition, her friends said that she did not remember the incident.

In addition to this omission of vital information, the Times opinion newspaper was also criticized for a tweet that he had published, promoting the story. The tweet said that "having a penis sunk in your face at a party in a drunken dorm can seem like a safe amusement."

By Sunday night, the Times had not only is excused for the "offensive" tweetbut also annexed to the essay a note from the publisher dealing with the flagrant omission of his original story.

"The book reports that the student refused to be interviewed and that friends say that she does not remember the incident," reads in a note from the journalist. ;editor. "This information has been added to the article."

The weekend flub was part of a series of sloppy stories.

How an anti-Semitic caricature ended up in the New York Times
In 2017, the Opinion section published an editorial linking a Sarah Palin Political Action Committee advertisement with a 2011 shootout in Tucson, Arizona, in which six people were killed and the Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords seriously injured. In fact, nothing proves that the shooter saw the advertisement, let alone that he was motivated. The Times issued a correction, but Palin filed a lawsuit against the newspaper. Palin's complaint was initially dismissed, but a court of appeal reactivated it in August.
In April of this year, the Opinion section of the International Times published an anti-Semitic cartoon. The Opinion section issued an apology and its publisher, A. G. Sulzberger, said the newspaper "took disciplinary action" against the editor.
And more recently, The Times has faced a barrage of criticism and mockery about the actions of columnist Bret Stephens. After being labeled a "pushpin" on Twitter by a professor at George Washington University, Stephens sent an email to the professor and his provost to complain. Stephens later wrote an editorial likening a bedbug to the dehumanizing language that Jews faced under Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich.

Dotted between the two, there were other incidents, including a Twitter poll regarding Kavanaugh hearings. The poll asked readers if the testimony of Christine Blasey Ford, who had accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault, was "credible". The Times later deleted him, saying he was "insensitive to the gravity of the hearing".

[ad_2]

Source link